Like Yeti, I've supported CSM in the past. I might be classified as one of the chearleaders also. All this was based on their treatment of me and Builder during our May trip to their shop. Tony and Lou were very gracious hosts and spent quite a bit of their likely busy day with us. More than both Builder and I would have guessed. Many of you may recall I posted a series of pics of the mfg processes of the RBL.
At this time I'm seriously considering cancelling my Sept 05 deposit order for a straight stocked, BTFE, exhibition Turkish, SST, assisted openner, coin finished RBL, with a $4k sticker.
There are about 5 reasons/concerns that are weighing on my mind, in no particular order of greater or lessor concern;
1) my friend bought a RBL and it has checkering that looks like the computerized woodburning machine malfunctioned. It's all black and deeply recessed below the finished surface. The lines look like they went haywire is about all I can say. In large areas on the forend, "checkering" is not an appropriate word to describe this 'Hasbro woodburning set rendition' of the art. It is so bad and deeply cut on the forend that I don't honestly beleive it can be recut unless the entire finished surface is lowered and metal reset deeper. I would have preferred it had pressed checkering like a '60s 870 pump which can be recut or nothing. This is the most obscene visual feature I've seen on a gun over $2k.
2) The "engraving" on my friend's gun was nothing like the quality of the prototypes I held in Vegas and New Britain. It looked much shallower and then buffed over, especially on the barrels. I'd prefer no engraving whatsoever to this scratching they're calling "engraving".
3) Two guns I've seen now, that were ordered with Turkish exhibition, looked very much like upper midgrade flamey fiddleback Claro. Neither were anywhere near my expectation of a yellow or grayish base color streaked with black lines, quite a bit of black line figure is my expectation for "exhibition". I can't conclusively 'prove' these guns are not Turkish, but I'm buying the gun and my expectation is balanced against my decision to spend the money. So, proving anything is not necessary for me to make a conclusion.
4) For $4,000, I can find plenty of other guns that are of better overall quality in all respects.
5) Customer handling has been much less than stellar and appears to be some customer's worst nightmare. I'm worried that if I get the gun, I'll not be treated well if I have any problems with my order. Either Tony is unaware of some of the things that are going on or condones them. I don't know which. It does't make any difference when you're on the recieving end of bad treatment.
There. I've said it.
BTW, I have no gripe with their delivery schedule. I find this to still be within what I expected would happen. I have not called on my delivery schedule and didn't ask about delivery when at CSM in May. I figure they should take their time to get these guns right, since I want a gun to keep. Apparently, this they are rushing to get these out and quality is suffering.
So, I've got a tough decision to make. My overwelming reason for ordering this gun was that I wanted a well made modern 20g sxs that was American made.
